To mark its centennial, the St. Louis Fed published "100 Years of Service." Read about the birth of the Federal Reserve and how the St. Louis Fed came to be known as the maverick in the Fed system. See how it serves not only financial institutions and the Treasury, but also educators, community development workers, researchers and the public.

Growth around the world is still below trend, but the U.S. is faring better than most countries. Among other topics in this larger-than-usual issue: the decline in labor force participation by youth, and the difficulty in measuring the underground economy.

April 2011

In This Edition

Over the past 40 years, there have been more than 120 banking crises around the world. Different governments have responded in different ways. The gross and net costs as a percentage of GDP range wildly, anywhere from less than 1 percent to well beyond 30 percent.

It's often said that small businesses generate the most jobs in the U.S. This is true if one looks at the gross number of jobs. But because small businesses have a high failure rate, they are not the largest producer of jobs at the net level.

Better-educated people appear to be in better health than less-educated people. But does more education cause better health, or are there other factors at play – such as income and access to information?